


these children, no-longer-children

by emothy



Category: Prince of Tennis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-19
Updated: 2006-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-05 05:10:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emothy/pseuds/emothy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a meeting, Tezuka puts his faith in one person. Written before the Nationals were aired, set during them at some point before Seigaku play Rikkai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	these children, no-longer-children

**Author's Note:**

> A fic of complete self-indulgence. I always wanted to see a Fuji-Yukimura match, especially one contrived by Tezuka.

-

"I do believe meetings like these are the most boring part of tennis, eh, Tezuka-kun?" Yukimura had barely turned around, and yet he already knew that Seigaku's representatives had entered and placed themselves nearby. "I think when I go Pro I shall let my manager and my publicist deal with it all." Yukimura did not wait for a reply, simply called over to Yanagi a few seats down, "Renji, will you be my manager when I go Pro?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Yukimura." Yanagi replied, nodding respectfully to both his captain and Tezuka who he realised quickly was also in his line of sight. "A manager should be able to improve your game."

"You're scared of me?" Yukimura grinned, showing off his incisors.

"No, I simply cannot think of anything I could improve upon." Renji shrugged. "Your talent is the limit of my experience."

The conversation ended there as abruptly as it had begun. Yukimura took a further glance round to see which two members Tezuka had brought with him to this meeting at such a late stage in the Nationals tournament. Yukimura himself had brought Sanada and Yanagi; no decision at all. He had been expecting Seigaku's vice-captain, Oishi Shuichiro, and there he stood a ways away from Tezuka, wringing his hands together anxiously. But he had not been expecting Seigaku's tensai, who appeared not to care that he was being watched, and looked out of the window, away from the various eyes upon him. It was unusual for Fuji Syuusuke to take an interest in a formal part of tennis.

"You are playing in Singles One, Yukimura-kun?" Tezuka asked with a small sense of urgency. Yukimura shrugged.

"That is the way I usually do it, yes." He replied. "Why, aren't you?"

"Perhaps not this time." Tezuka said thoughtfully, and that actually did shock Yukimura.

"Do you remember Fudomine's match against Hyotei..." Fuji Syuusuke had moved effortlessly closer to the two of them, injecting his soft yet confident voice into the conversation. "When Tachibana-kun put himself into Singles Three. Hyotei had lost by that third match, and Fudomine's aggressive battle-plan had paid off. Tachibana was not afraid of a chance of losing later on, because he had put his best out as early as possible and stolen every win."

Yukimura did not remember it; he had not been there. He had heard a lot about Fudomine's team, though, in time. Tachibana had even been in the same hospital as him for a while he knew. It had turned Akaya into a wild thing. For all of that to think on, Fuji knew he had the attention of both the captains, though.

"Tachibana asserts the position and skill of an unseeded, unknown, and unfeared team with his aggressive statement. But for Atobe Keigo's self-confidence, he would not scruple to do the same with Hyotei. But the position of Singles One has too nice a ring to it for him to ever settle for less." Fuji pauses, and his audience are still listening intently. It is strange to have a hold over two of such obvious power, however small the hold may be. "However, Seigaku, Rikkaidai... These teams have captains who are determined to play not with tactics, but with skill, and only skill. Team members are placed by their ability such as it is at the time, though that does not stay constant, except for very few. They have enough faith in their teams that it will not, usually, come to their Singles One match, but if it _were_ to come to it, it would be at a point where Singles One would be the deciding factor." Fuji stopped, and smiled. "Some captains seem to enjoy the pressure. The weight of knowing they decide the fate of the matches overall. Knowing their match is one that cannot be lost at any cost. A responsibility that seems rather heady to me."

"So, who would you suggest takes your place?" Yukimura asks Tezuka after a moment of pause. Tezuka smiles a rare and wry smile, and glances upward at Fuji Syuusuke.

"_Kunimitsu!_" Syuusuke's eyes open and they look genuinely shocked to the core. Yukimura realises he has never heard anyone refer to Tezuka by his given name at any point, except for when the announcers call it before a match. Even Oishi behind them looks stunned.

"Kunimitsu," Fuji replies, his voice recovering it's normal tone. He places a hand on Tezuka's shoulder. "What are you _thinking_?" He grips Tezuka's shoulder tighter. "Wait, don't bother to answer. I know what you are thinking."

"Do enlighten me, though." Yukimura says, a sparkle in his eye. "I seem to have been left behind the conversation."

"I believe Fuji can beat you." Tezuka says simply, looking dead into Yukimura's eyes. Fuji sighs and drops down in the seats behind Tezuka, folding his arms across his front. His face betrays a shadow of doubt.

"You don't." He replies. "You just want me to _think_ that you do."

"Confidence begins in the captain, mmm?" Yukimura asks Tezuka. "I must admit I have used the tactic myself." He paused and leant forward, pretending conspicuousness. "It helps a great deal though, Tezuka-kun, if they are not aware of what you are doing."

Even Fuji has to quirk the corner of his mouth into some semblance of a smile at that. Though if it had blossomed into a true smile, it would have shown itself to be full of irony.

"I believe he will beat you." Tezuka replies almost word-for-word.

"Tezuka, I can't even beat _you_." Fuji insists from behind him. He kicks the chair in front at his last word, as if to enforce his point.

"I've never heard Fuji Syuusuke sound so frustrated at the prospect of not being able to beat someone." Yanagi seems to share Fuji's ability to creep up on a conversation. "In fact, I've never heard of him being unable to beat someone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Renji, Rikkai has played Seigaku before." Yukimura frowns.

"Yes," Yanagi concurs, "but unfortunately, it never came to Singles Two, until Kirihara."

"How is Kirihara-kun?" Fuji enquires innocently enough that Yukimura wants to grab him by his collar and choke the air out of his throat. A sleepless night he'll never get back because Fuji Syuusuke decided to teach Kirihara a lesson. Not that he was wrong, per se, and the attitude would have eventually been quelled by Yukimura himself before it stunted Kirihara's game, but it had denied Yukimura a decent night's sleep when he'd had to sit and soothe Kirihara's whimperings and nonsensical ramblings.

"Play me anyway," he says, eyes burning into Fuji Syuusuke as he shrugs. "Tezuka-kun is the captain, and has the final decision anyway. You might as well give in gracefully, before you are forced."

Fuji opens his eyes to meet Yukimura's glare.

"If your game is clouded with personal feelings, then you might not win." He offers. Yukimura flinches in his seat; a reaction he is unable to contain. Fuji is lucky he kept himself in his seat at all, and did not fly out of it at him. He feels Yanagi's hand on his shoulder; an action come far too late if he had truly intended to hold Yukimura back.

Tezuka has followed the entire exchange, and not betrayed an ounce of emotion. No fear, no amusement. He stands up and walks out from amongst the seating, offering out a hand to Fuji as he passes by. It is accepted, and Fuji rises also.

"I'm not doing it because of you." He informs Tezuka softly but firmly enough to be heard by others, if they are close enough as Rikkai's members are. Which _only_ Rikkai's members are. "I'm doing it because he's angry." Fuji smirks.

"I don't care why you do it." Tezuka replies with the callousness everyone is accustomed to. "I only care that you win."

Anyone else would have gasped at that kind of treatment, but something in Yukimura understands; for Tezuka to acknowledge that amount of talent, and faith... He sets his jaw and resolves to crush Fuji Syuusuke and destroy his and Tezuka's confidences both in one sharp blow.

-


End file.
